The inventive embodiments are directed towards a stowable wind deflector for an automobile.
Many vehicles are manufactured or retrofitted in the aftermarket with manual and power sunroofs that may include automatic or permanent wind deflectors to keep unwanted wind and noise from lessening the driving experience. A wind deflector is a device that generally projects upwardly along the front edge of a sunroof opening. As a vehicle moves forward, the wind deflector deflects the air to reduce turbulence which in turn lessens wind noise as it passes directly over the opening. Some wind deflectors are accessory-type devices, which may be affixed to the top of a vehicle and constantly deflect wind regardless of whether the sunroof is open or closed. Deflectors used in connection with powered sunroofs are generally retractable and spring-loaded, closing when the sunroof closes and opening when the sunroof opens. The latter are typically used with powered sunroofs because it is relatively easy to incorporate the stowing and deployment of the deflector into the sliding motion of the sunroof panel.
A manual sunroof generally allows a user to detach the sunroof panel from one or more clasps, or other fastening means, and then remove it. This type of sunroof is typically stored in a trunk or other location until it is reinstalled. Most manual sunroofs include one or more hooks or forks located on the front side of the sunroof panel for positioning and securing it within the opening.
The current trend in deflector design is to make them from a flexible material of some sort, such as a mesh fabric, stretched between members of a collapsible frame. The use of the flexible mesh material reduces weight to an extent and provides for compact storage while still giving adequate wind deflection when deployed.
A problem that arises with this type of wind deflector is variations in the tension asserted on the flexible material when the deflector is extended. The configuration of the frame members subjects the flexible material to tension that is higher at either end portion of the wind deflector than at the central portion. This results in unsightliness and reduced efficiency in deflecting the wind. In some cases, the wind deflector can actually increase the noise level in the automobile due to resonance of the flexible material.
A wind deflector system that permits a user to easily store a wind deflector in a compressed position during installation of the sunroof is needed. It is further desirable to provide for substantially uniform tautness of the flexible material during deployment to improve the deflector""s appearance and efficiency.
One of the inventive embodiments provides for an upper member of the wind deflector frame configured so as to provide a substantially uniform tautness in the flexible material when the wind deflector is deployed in an extended position.